This is the obligatory flashback of the previous year and bold predictions of the current year.
2011 was a good year. All in all I made some terrific friends and had a decent year. Top highlights include the return of Chadwick Huang (I think that was 2011) and several memorable trips with great company. There was the infamous pretzel-throwing extravaganza in Reno, Tiesto in Vegas, beach-housin' in Santa Cruz, head-thrashing in EDC, the Seattle adventures, and projectile-vomiting Portland. I went camping for the second time ever and drove a boat.
But it was not all peachy. Some definite lowlights include Anjuli moving away and losing a few friends. It took some time to adjust to the move, but I am glad she is happy where she is. As for losing the other friends, it is probably for the best. Cady said you have to suck all the poison out of your life and I believe it. Why keep people around who are a cancer to your life and happiness? Some friendships and relationships are just not worth saving. Other friendships, like Anjuli, are the ones you wish you had more of...
Looking forward, I am hoping to build on 2011's mild successes. Although I have already failed to write up my 100 item bucket list in time, I will likely start it this year. Be on the look out for a new blog for my bucket list.
Some goals never change but here they are:
Finish writing my bucket list and start
More ink
Vespa
Purchase a home and move in
Become more independent; be less needy
Finish one full cycle of p90x
Stay sober for a month
Probably some more but nothing I can think of right now. I think one of the biggest problems with setting New Year's resolution is not having a specific goal. I think if I set goals with a definitive endpoint, I will have a higher rate of success. I guess we will find out in 2013 how I did.
First things first. The Sharks were eliminated last week in a devastating fashion. Another year, another disappointment. Here are some of the upsides:
"There's always next year..." -Sharks motto
Most of the core players are locked up beyond the next season
No shame in losing to a superior team
Facing adversity will help the team grow - nothing came easy this season
Downside?
No parade
Longer wait for start of next season
Guch up as restricted free agent
More ammo for critics to call them chokers
Since school has ended, things have been fun again. But fun means bad things for my body. I can already see the extra calories from the alcohol affecting my body. And my brain. I feel slower... But at least I am enjoying myself. Need to start exercising a bit more to balance out the heavy drinking. I think I drank almost everyday in the past two weeks. And I have exercised twice. Not good.
A lot of things have happened, but it's past midnight so I will continue this later. I have missed you blog. See you soon.
My online class started on Monday. So now I am taking Bus 210 "Managing and Developing People" and RA106 "Regulatory Affairs". The combination of the two is destroying me. My mind is being blown by all the information thrown at me. I have probably read more in the last month than I have in the last two years. This is definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done. There's so much work that I am taking Monday off from work to catch up.
To help me concentrate on school work, I have eliminated two of the most time-consuming activities: TV and Facebook. Andy and Kevin came over today and helped me move the TV in my room to my sister's room. I can't remember the last time my room didn't have a TV... I still remember when I had three TVs in my room. I could watch TV, listen to sports on another, and play game on the third. It got so bad to the point where my room looked like this...
This is how my room actually looked in high school. And it was not intentionally set up this way. It took weeks of abuse and neglect to get it this messy. Those were simpler times...
When I study, I usually have music in the background since I'm sedatephobic (fear of silence). Since I can't concentrate when listening to music with words, I turn to Pandora for generated playlists. My studying playlist is a combination of Yiruma, Escala, and Bond. Almost everything they play is pretty good with that lineup. That's where I found the song above. Pretty nice music to listen to. I've listened to Pandora so much that I've already hit the maximum hours allowed. I've already played 40 hours of music this month on the site and if I want to continue using it, I'll have to pay. Did you know there was a friggin' limit?! I think I'll just wait until October...
Without Facebook, there isn't much left to do on the web. I check the sports pages and the news every half hour or so, but there's nothing really left after that.
On the plus side, now that the TV is in my sister's room, I have a new place to work out (if I ever have time). Her room has windows and gets plenty of air so it'll be perfect.
I'm also thinking about getting an iPad for my mom. If she likes it, she can keep it. But I have a feeling she would be too frustrated with learning how to use it and give up. In that case, I'd take it. So it's really a gift for me. I've been debating about which iPad I want. I definitely only plan on getting the 16GB (smallest one) but I'm not sure if I want to go with the 3G or just the Wi-Fi. With the 3G, I have the option of using internet where ever there's a 3G hotspot but it costs a whopping $130 for that feature. In addition to that, you also have to go through AT&T to get the data plan which is 250MB/month for $15 or 2GB/month for $25. The good thing about the plan is that you don't have to pay for it unless you use it since it's month to month. So I think I will buy the 3G iPad but hold off on getting the service until I need it. It would be a great asset if I ever go on that road trip around the U.S. that I've been working on...
Until next time,
Some interesting facts I learned from my readings:
54% of Americans are using prescription medication; 35% use 1-3 and 19% use four or more
Only 2 of 10 marketed drugs return revenues that match or exceed R&D costs
Since new medicines were approved in 1995, the AIDS death rate has dropped more than 70%
The death rate for cardiovascular disease fell 26.4% between 1999 and 2005. This includes a 29.7% decrease in stroke death rates an a 34.3% drop in death rates for coronary heart disease. Nearly half of the decline is attributable to medical treatments, including increased use of prescription medicines such as cholesterol drugs and blood thinners.
In a study, a $1.00 increase in prescription drug spending saved $2.06 in hospital spending
Generic medications account for 74% of prescriptions filled - up from 49% in 2000
There's a lot more interesting stats and things but I don't want to number you to death... Interesting though ain't it?
Best album I have heard in months. Incredible lyrics. What a comeback after two albums of garbage. Eminem is hands down the best rapper of all time. Drake is a piece of shit. What a bunch of crap...
My entire life, I have been influenced by the people that surround me. Growing up, I looked up to my cousins and always thought of them as my role models. They taught me things I shouldn't have learned as a youngster and put me way ahead of the game in terms of street smarts. At the same time, my parents instilled in me the values I still carry today. For the most part. I had the balance of stability in my family as well as the spontaneity learned from my cousins. Everything I did then was heavily influenced by them. It wasn't until my first years of college that I began to establish myself as my own person.
I was no longer in high school trying to fit in. I was not vying for most popular, most athletic, class clown, or any other title. There was no one left to compete with but myself. It was time to move on. Time to work on myself.
College opened me eyes to different things. I began to develop my own philosophies on life and I spent a lot of time looking at who I was. For the first time in my life, I was learning to think for myself. It wasn't just things that I learned in the classroom that made me change. It was the entire college experience. I went through many phases as an adolescent and teen, but I finally began the era in my life where I felt comfortable in my own skin.
Why am I telling you this? Because people recently have tried to force their values and beliefs onto me. I am just starting to realize what I believe in so do not try and challenge me or try to discredit my views. I would not do the same to you. To your face at least.
Tomorrow, jurors may or may not start the deliberation process in the Johannes Mehserle case. Murder one is now off the table. There has been speculation that if the trial reaches a verdict other than murder, there is a possibility of a riot in Oakland. Most likely near the Fruitvale station where Mehserle shot Oscar Grant. A station where I pass by everyday to get to work. Fearing a riot, my aunt and I may or may not work from home in the coming days.
The past few days my aunt had been complaining about how much publicity this story is getting. She was upset because a few months earlier a Chinese man was shot to death by an officer and that story was never heard of again after a few weeks. She suggested that it was unfair the media covers mainly racism and police discrimination towards blacks.
First of all, the black community is more vocal. There is no arguing that they are more likely to organize and protest anything and everything. Therefore, it's no surprise they receive more media attention. They have appointed leaders like Jesse Jackson who wags his finger at the white man and gets results. Secondly, the system is broken. There is always more appeal in current times to depict the black man as the victim. If you've ever seen any of the earlier episodes of "Cops", most if not all of the criminals were black. Simply put, the Asian community just does not have the same pull as blacks.
The news of this case is not new to anyone, however. Accidents happen. It was not a case of police brutality or racism. It truly is a reach for the Grant family and supporters to ask for any murder charges against Mehserle. Hopefully the verdict will be manslaughter and there is no civil unrest. The way I see it, this is a case that will perpetuate racism regardless of the verdict. If Mehserle gets manslaughter, the blacks will protest saying the judicial system favors whites. On the other hand, if Mehserle is charged with murder, it will probably be seen by most as an unfit punishment for the crime. Whites could say that the white guilt has taken over and blacks are starting to run the show. There is no good outcome.
My aunt keeps telling me crap I just don't want to hear. The only thing I hate more than racism (jokes aside), is self-righteous remarks. I am always open to listening to other people's views, but there's a line between listening and being forced to agree. You can tell me how you feel but don't follow up every opinion with, "Right?" or "Don't you agree?" I have my own thoughts that I might want to express but your hard-headedness leaves no room for opinion. So stop it.
On a completely different topic. I am sculpting my body into the exact image of a Greek God. I've been blasting my pecs with at least 80 push ups a day for the past month. I started on the first of June and have only missed three days (four if you include one due to injury). What's the routine you ask? Thirty regular push ups, followed by 15 inside, 10 diamond, and 30 outside. That's one set I complete with less than 30 seconds between each variation. I usually do one to two sets a day depending on how my body is feeling. When my arm gets better I'm going to up the ante to three sets a day.
Chadwick, watch yo back. I will match you at your own challenge. *Flex flex*
Until next time,
The only King without a mustache is the King of Hearts.
Reading Chad's post about goals made me think a lot about how I've been spending my time lately. I haven't been able to come up with any new goal that I haven't already failed at multiple times (exercising regularly, cleaning my room, getting my scooter, etc.). But coming out of the shower just now, I thought of some very compelling lyrics to a song I would like to write. The only thing is, I don't know how to play a musical instrument. So, for the next two weeks, I plan to pick up my guitar again and try to write my song. To make my goal easier and more realistic, I've set the bar at 15 minutes of practice everyday. Yes, I know. This will probably end up on my list of failed accomplishments but it's nice to dream.
I do my best thinking in the shower. It's the only place I can go and really just forget about everything else. That, and just sitting in my room singing loudly to throwbacks like this:
This song is somewhere on my "Top 5 Rock Songs of All time" along with:
Have fun rocking out to some of my favorite jams of all time.
Until next time,
A fetus that is four months old will become startled and turn away if a light is flashed on a mother's stomach.
Yesterday I accomplished something I thought was near impossible. I was able to run all the way to 47th avenue and back. A total of 50 blocks or 3.5 miles. It was amazing because I've been running the same route and I never made it past 41st avenue (on the way back). The amazing thing was that I wasn't as fatigued as I thought. I probably could have ran a little further but I was already home. Even more surprisingly, I am not sore. My self esteem is at an all time high and I have started working out again. But enough about that.
Two days ago I posted about something at work that was absolutely hilarious. And I'm about to show you. To give you a refresher on the background of these photos, building security provided a binder of emergency procedures and such. Inside, I found this.
Take a closer look.
What the eff?! "Did you place the bomb?" I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this page. My coworkers had no idea why I was laughing. This form was so strange I had to take a picture to capture the memories.
Yesterday I was talking to my mom and she said something that I knew was a lie. I called her out on it and said she was a big fat liar. She looked at me and said, "DO YOU SEE MY PANTS ON FIRE?!" If there was a show called "Moms Say the Darndest Things", she would totally be on it.
It's 8:03AM and I've been up for almost two hours now. Had trouble sleeping last night and then I heard my mom's cell phone go off just as I was about to fall asleep. Half awake, I thought I heard her give the phone to my dad saying it was a call for him. Then a few minutes later I heard my mom walking down the stairs and opening the front door to leave. I looked out the window and sure enough, she was walking to her car fully dressed. I wasn't sure where she was going and my phone was too far. For no particular reason, I thought it was 1:40. I didn't look at a clock but that's what time I thought it was. I dozed off for what felt like a few hours and woke up when she came home through the front door. By that time, the sun was coming up and I went downstairs to ask her where she had gone for so long. She said she went to McDonald's to get breakfast. Apparently the call was a wrong number and she didn't pass the phone to my dad, she left the house around 7 to get breakfast, and I was wrong about everything. And now I'm tired but can't fall back asleep.
My brother came home from Davis on Thursday and he bought the Perfect Push Up thing. I tried a few out of boredom and curiosity. It feels cheap and flimsy. If I was as buff as the guy on the box, the handles would probably collapse under me. I don't think it works that well. I've been trying to get back into the rhythm of working out again. Everyday after work, I do a bunch of lifting for about 1.5 hours. Of course, I stretch out my reps because I'm always watching TV. Hopefully I'll trim down a bit soon. My mom keeps calling me a fatass. The more I seem to do, the more I feel my body is turning into the same body type as Chuck Liddell. He has a gut and he looks fat all the time until he flexes and you can see all the lines. That's where I'm at right now. This is, of course, before I eat.
Taylor Tickets are on sale soon. Don't really understand the breakdown of when tickets go on sale but the latest will be October 30. I joined the T Sweezy website just to see if I could get the code. I also have an AmEx card so probably will try that too. No idea how many tickets I'm going to get but so far I think the group going will be me, Anjuli, My, Ya, Erica, and maybe V and my sister if she's back. Ticket prices range from $25-59.50. I don't mind paying top dollar for great seats. Sixty dollars isn't that much anyways. Not for Taylor. Also not sure how many I'm buying (if I'm buying for people or separate). Probably best to get them together to guarantee seats together. I'll probably aim for 8. I can always sell them later. Everyone wants a piece of her.
That yellow dot is where I want to sit. Sixty dollars? Well worth it. Everyone be on the look out for radio contests and such. I want backstage passes. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!
